Again, the world is paying for its deeds. Widespread global unrest, murders, killings, plunder, pillage, confusion, commotion, shortages and scarcities in the market, high prices of commodities, unreliability, straitening of sustenance, etc. are all results and consequences of human vices and misdeeds. Allah the Almighty has drawn the attention of man towards this stark reality in the Holy Quran long back.
“Mischief is manifest in the land and the sea for what the people have earned. “
(Surah Rome (30), Verse 41)
Habitually, we tend to blame others for our ills and absolve ourselves. The question is that if everybody is acquitted, then who is to be convicted? The fact is that all of us are jointly and severally responsible. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) cautioned,
“Each one of you is responsible.”
The Holy Quran states,
‘Each man has been made responsible as per his capacity’.
Rather, the duties that have been imposed on man are far beneath his ability. If the reformation and improvement is not within our ability, it is not our responsibility either. Our liability is confined to the extent of our capacity, be it a city, a village, a locality or a house. If we are completely helpless and powerless, then in the least, we have power over our own selves. We can certainly take steps towards the improvement and betterment of our own selves. Today, if we look at ourselves, instead of others, and strive to the best of our ability to improve, train and purify our inner selves, slowly, its effects will be there for all to see. Gradually, our house will become a home, our locality will be safe and secure, our village will improve and our city will change for the better. As we move from mischief towards improvement, from sins to piety, from evil to good, we will notice that insecurity has transformed into security, killings and murders into brotherhood and fraternity, loot and plunder into honesty and trustworthiness, scarcity into abundance, unreliability into dependability and straitening of sustenance into prosperity and affluence.
When the talk is about mischief, generally, the thought of sins arises and vices like lies, backbiting, slander, abandonment of the obligatory acts and perpetration of the prohibited acts, all appear in the mind. All these are the worst kinds of sins. None has the license to defy his Lord, Allah the Almighty. Divine laws are not man-made laws, where manipulating law-breakers perennially exploit the loopholes. These are divine laws where there is no scope for excuses and pretexts.
Our disobedience and defiance of Allah the Almighty is the cause of our problems and difficulties. But the greatest mischief of man and his biggest sin is the denial of the holy being appointed by Allah as His representative, His Friend and His Caliph on the earth and whose love and obedience has been made obligatory on one and all. None has been allowed to cite excuses for his disobedience, or even being indifferent to his mastership.
In a Hadis-e-Qudsi, Allah the Almighty says,
“The greatest obedience is the acknowledgement of My Unity, the verification of My Prophet’s Prophethood and submission before those introduced by the Prophet as his successors, and they are Ali Ibn Abi Taalib and the pure Imams from his progeny.”
Another Hadis-e-Qudsi declares,
“O Muhammad! If anyone of My servants worships Me to the extent that he becomes like dust particles or dries like a tree but comes to Me refuting your mastership (Imamat), I will never forgive him. Except for the fact that he acknowledges your mastership. “
In the first tradition, the acknowledgement of Ahle Bait’s (a.s.) mastership has been regarded as the greatest worship, and in the second, its refutation has been deemed as unforgivable. Rather, rejection of the mastership of the Ahle Bait (a.s.) is the destruction of all good deeds performed.
In Surah Yunus (10): Verse 98, the Holy Quran mentions the incident of the people of Prophet Yunus (a.s.). Constant disobedience of Allah’s Prophet by this nation had resulted in an impending divine chastisement. But when they repented sincerely from the depth of their hearts, refrained from violation of Allah’s commands and became His obedient servants, divine chastisement was dispelled.
The same applies for us as well. The difficulties and calamities of this nation will come to an end only if the people forsake the pseudo-divine leaders (mystics and tantriks) and return to the door of the Ahle Bait (a.s.). The day this nation acknowledges the mastership of the Imam appointed by Allah and introduced by the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), and will become completely obedient and submissive before him, it will undergo a noticeable transformation. In the words of the traditions,
“It will be fraught with justice and equity as it would be filled with injustice and oppression.”
Today, our most important responsibility is that we believe in the infallible Imams (a.s.) appointed by Allah the Almighty and abhor their enemies. Moreover, we should also invite others towards these holy personalities, a series that begins with Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (a.s.) and ends with Hujjat Ibn al-Hasan, Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.).
